It’s a title clash—well, it was the last two seasons. ARSENAL and MANCHESTER CITY duked it out for the Premier League crown from 2022 to 2024, but now the Citizens have gone off a cliff and the North Londoners have had their struggles, too. Injuries have played a role for both, while poor refereeing decisions and bad luck have hampered Arsenal just as Liverpool have gone steaming to the top of the league.
One of those questionable officiating moments came in the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium, when Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard was shown a harsh second yellow card for kicking the ball away and City got back into the match thanks to their numerical advantage. A last-minute equalizer—after which Erling Haaland launched the ball at the back of Gabriel’s head and told Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to “stay humble”—made for a very contentious affair.
Now they’re back in battle, and Tom Canton joins the show to preview the festivities. As the chief Arsenal writer for Football.London, he also offers some insight into the North London club’s desperate search for a forward as the January transfer window begins to close:
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MORE MATCHES
BOURNEMOUTH vs LIVERPOOL
Sat @ 10am ET, 3pm UK
The league leaders will be hoping to profit from their only rival’s difficult assignment and widen their lead over Arsenal at the top of the table. Liverpool have a tough task of their own, however, as Bournemouth are among the form teams in the league and absolutely battered high-flying Nottingham Forest last time out. Justin Kluivert is firing at the moment with five goals and two assists in three matches.
RELEGATION BRAWLS
Sat @ 10am ET, 3pm UK
If the lower end of the table is more your speed, there are a pair of scraps kicking off at the same time that could tell us a lot about who’s going down to the Championship. EVERTON host LEICESTER CITY at Goodison Park in a meeting of 16th and 17th, with the Foxes just one point above the drop zone. IPSWICH TOWN vs SOUTHAMPTON, meanwhile, is an absolute must-win for the Tractor Boys if they want a different fate from the Saints come May.
MILAN vs INTER
Sun @ 12pm ET, 5pm UK
The Derby della Madonnina is one of the premier local disagreements in world football, and this season’s first edition was a rousing 2-1 victory for A.C. back in September. Christian Pulisic scored a barnstorming opener in that one and was on the scoresheet again as Milan triumphed over Inter in the Supercoppa Italiana earlier this month.
The Nerazzuri will be eager to reverse the trend as they chase a second straight Scudetto, which they secured last season with a crushing victory in this fixture. They’re three points off leaders Napoli with a game in hand, while Milan are stuck down in seventh, though their form has improved under new boss Sérgio Conceição.
ROMA vs NAPOLI
Sun @ 2:45pm ET, 7:45pm UK
Speaking of an uptick in form, the Romans are unbeaten in six and sneaking up the top half of the table after a very poor start to the season. They host the league-toppers this weekend, however, and Napoli have won nine of their last 10 in the league. They’ve sold off Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to PSG but David Neres is now the devilish creative force out wide and Scott McTominay is—almost unbelievably—their second leading goal scorer. Something is working for Antonio Conte’s side, but a trip to the Stadio Olimpico to face Claudio Ranieri’s outfit should be a test.
MARSEILLE vs LYON
Sun @ 2:45pm ET, 7:45pm UK
They traditionally call this one the Choc des Olympiques—Clash of the Olympics—though Canal+ has apparently popularized another name: “The Olympico.” Before Paris Saint-Germain came on the scene, it was Olympique Lyonnais who dominated French football for years on end, winning seven straight Ligue 1 titles. Marseille have too often found themselves with a silver medal throughout every era, though they did win a title in 2010. They’re 10 points back of PSG this time around but looking to keep hold of a Champions League place, while Lyon are in the hunt for a ticket to the big show themselves.
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READS
⚽︎ With all the talk of Arsenal’s striker search, Mark Carey goes long for The Athletic on whether Ollie Watkins is even the right profile of forward for the Gunners.
⚽︎ This recap of the Champions League group stage final day from Simon Burnton in The Guardian is a bit melodramatic but worth a look.
⚽︎ On FC Barcelona, The Athletic’s Anantaajith Raghuraman asks the age-old question: can a team succeed when they’re great going forward but can’t defend?
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GEAR
👕 This may be the most famous Fiorentina kit—or team-sponsor combo—of all, and it’s popped up again at Classic Football Shirts.
👕 In fact, CFS has all kinds of incredible Fiorentina gear from yesteryear. This one will set you back a mere £250—that’s less than the 7UP editions will run you!⚽︎